When it comes to creativity and freedom of expression, fewer art forms can compare with outdoor art – or street art (sometime referred to as urban art or environmental art). Part of the appeal of street art, and why it is perhaps my favorite form of creative expression all comes down to this:
This is a form of art that anybody can participate in. It’s open to everyone, not just to a select few who are fortunate enough to show their work in a gallery.
I get a particular kick out of any type of art that interacts with the environment that it’s in, whether indoors or outdoors. The outdoors seems to hold more possibilities for creative expression; when both the work of art and its environment complement each other and integrate together to form a complete whole… well, it doesn’t get much more creative than that.
Join us as we take a look at just a few of the most remarkable and creative street artists, in the article below.
David Zinn
David Zinn, a native of Michigan (USA), was a freelance artist for several years before he discovered chalk and a love of nature and being outside. He started creating adorable little creatures and scenes by drawing with chalk and charcoal on sidewalks, stones, manhole covers… and on just about anything else that can be found outside. It’s so inspiring to me when someone sees beauty everywhere, as David does. I mean, who looks at tree stumps and envisions an otter living there?? (an otter waiting for his blind date, no less… )
Here’s a glimpse of the beautiful way David’s mind works, as viewed in a few of his cute, whimsical designs:
David was interviewed for CBS Mornings, and that video can be viewed here and on their YouTube channel. The video is called Artist David Zinn brings charming chalk drawings to city streets in Laguna Beach:
I love how David states that we often don’t truly take the time to notice where we are or to really see the world around us. Speaking for myself, that is so true.
Pappas Parlor
Johan Karlgren is a Swedish street artist who also goes by the name of “Pappas Parlor.” In a stroke of genius, Johan decided to combine his love of old-school video games and his sharp sense of humor to go on to create some of the most fun and inventive works of outdoor art that I’ve ever seen.
Johan’s creations appear to be pixelated and are intended to be in imitation of — or as homage to — those old-school video games that he grew up with. His subject matter is anything related to popular culture (ex: popular TV show characters, video games, comic book heroes, etc.) His creative process involves the use of brightly colored perler beads. Perler beads are small pieces of non-toxic plastic that can be melted and fused together; and this medium of expression seems to be rapidly gaining in popularity.
Here is a small sampling of his work:
Johan has garnered the attention of many with his humorous take on contemporary art and modern subject matter. You can get a look at more of his creations in this article by Berlin, Germany-based contemporary art museum Urban Nation.
D*Face
D*Face (otherwise known as Dean Stockton) is a mural artist based out of London, in the UK. His specialty is depicting cartoon-inspired themes on a massive scale. The individual works of this artist are like a visual smack in the face and can be almost shocking in their boldness of color, form and messaging.
Some of Dean’s paintings harken back to the style of pop art icons such as Andy Warhol and particularly Roy Lichtenstein, who was very active during the 1960s and 1970s and is best known for his depictions of comic book-style themes and characters.
Here is a small sampling of D*Face’s work (from the artist’s website):
An incredibly imaginative painter and sculptor, D*Face is definitely one of the leading contemporary street artists. This excerpt from the About page of his website sums up his creative philosophy quite nicely:
I wanted to encourage people to not just to ‘see’, but to look at what surrounds them and their lives, reflecting our increasingly bizarre popular culture, re-thinking and reworking cultural figures and genres to comment on our ethos of conspicuous consumption.
To learn more about what motivates D*Face to continue on his creative journey, check out this video by Menlo House:
Nikolaj Arndt
Nikolaj Arndt is a street artist from Germany who showcases his amazing profile and catalogue on DeviantArt (among other places). He excels at depicting 3D scenes that appear to literally pop right out of the pavement, and his subjects range from heroes of classic literature to sea and land creatures.
Here is a small sampling of the artist’s work (from his DeviantArt profile):
Nikolaj’s work comes in all sizes, from a few feet across to many yards across. Below is a short video showcasing his process in forming one of his smaller-in-scale (but still beautiful) sidewalk paintings:
Nikolaj works in the medium of chalk and powdered pigment, which he dilutes with sugar and water to provide more permanence and longevity for his works. He brings the art of extreme realism to life in such a bold, colorful and fun way, and we hope to see more of his paintings in the future!
Thank you so much for stopping by our blog! We hope these remarkable artists have inspired you to start seeing the creative possibilities in the world around you, and that it gets you thinking about your next painting, sculpture, drawing or any type of art or craft project. 🙂
